ESPN Power Rankings Week 9 - Despite Bye, Giants Move Up

It's everyone's favorite time of the week again as ESPN has released its week 9 'NFL Power Rankings'.Despite not playing this week, the Giants managed to move up to 7th in the rankings. I am happy, and a little bit surprised that the voters actually moved the Giants up this week. However, I believe the Giants deserve to be in the top 5 with the way they had been playing prior to their bye. For example, two teams that they have been playing better than the last few weeks are the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets.

Ed Murray/The Star-Ledger The New York Giants, ranked 7th in this week's ESPN 'NFL Power Rankings', are all smiles after winning four games in a row prior to their bye.

Rankings for the rest of the NFC East:

12. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) - Dropped one spot to 12th after their bye week. I still think they deserve to be ranked lower after their fourth quarter melt down against the Tennessee Titans before their bye. I am very interested to see how they perform this weekend at home against the Indianapolis Colts with Michael Vick back in at quarterback.

18. Washington Redskins (4-4) - Fell five spots to 18th after getting pounded in the fourth quarter by the Detroit Lions. Throw in the Donovan McNabb benching in the final two minutes and this seems to be a team surrounded by controversy. I have been saying all season that I have no clue how the Redskins win games because their offense looks absolutely atrocious at times, and apparently their coach, Mike Shanahan, is beginning to realize the same thing.

29. Dallas Cowboys (1-6) - The media darlings are falling faster than Randy Moss's career, dropping another three spots after a miserable performance at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past weekend. You know a team has given up when even the soft spoken David Garrard starts calling them out for quitting. Honestly, the Cowboys are lucky to be ranked this high.

I Told Them So

Houston Texans (13th) - For weeks I have been beating the drum that the Texans are not very good, and there is no way they should be ranked ahead of the Giants who demolished them at home. Apparently, the voters' eyes were finally opened after their miserable performance against the Colts on Monday night.

Head Scratching Rankings:

Minnesota Vikings (23rd) - It looks like Brad Childress is losing this team and Brett Favre isn't get any younger. There are teams ranked below them, such as the Detroit Lions, who have looked better than the Vikings on the field so far this year.

St. Louis Rams (21st) - I know their schedule has been easy, and eventually they will have to win a game on the road, but seriously, can my man Steve Spagnuolo get some love?The Rams, who I believe have the best shot at winning the NFC West, actually moved down a spot after their win against the Carolina Panthers. Also, Sam Bradford is quietly having a fantastic rookie season, throwing for 11 touchdowns.

Are You Serious?:

ESPN's NFC West blogger, Mike Sando, posts the individual votes every week. As I stated above, I was surprised that the ESPN panel, who always underrates the Giants, actually moved them up two spots coming off their bye week. Well, I found it very interesting that none of the four voters actually had the Giants ranked higher than eighth. So, the only reason why the GMEN even moved up to seventh was because the voters were split on how to rank the Packers (8th) and Titans (9th) which lowered both of their average rankings. I should have known better than to believe the ESPN analysts were starting to believe in the Giants.

Final Thoughts:

It was nice and relaxing to watch football for a weekend without stressing about the Giants, but I am definitely excited for their return on Sunday in Seattle.Because of the way the Giants were playing going into the bye, I believe they are clearly the best team in the NFC. If they want to remain the best for the rest of the season, then there is no way they can afford to lose to the Seattle Seahawks this weekend. While Seattle is a very tough place to play, there is no hiding the fact that the Seahawks currently rank 30th in the league in total offense (275.1 yards per game) and 26th in total defense (368.3 yards per game). I don't know about you guys, but I am pumped for the rest of the season! LET'S GO GIANTS!

As always, let me know below where you think the Giants deserved to be ranked. Also, be sure to follow us on twitter @bigbluebloggers and become a fan of our facebook page for a chance to get a shout out in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" recap after each Giants' game for the rest of the season!